Soap holder and saver



v- 3, 1956 F. J. ENDRES-ETAL 2,770,071

SOAP HOLDER AND SAVER Filed April 15, 1954 INVENTORS fared IEn dres frank F ATTDRN EYE United States Patent S AP HOLDE A SAV Fred J. Endres and Frank Paiva, Reno, Nev.

Application April15, 1954, Serial N0..423,399.

3 Claims. (Cl. 4528) This invention relates to a devicefor handling a bar f oap I h The object ofthe invention is to provide. a soap holder and saver that is adapted tobe used, for safely-gripping a bar of soap whereby the bar of soap can be suspended from a hook or the like when-it is not being used sothat a person will not accidentally harm himself or herself by stepping on the bar of soap in-a bathtub shower or the like.

Another object of the invention is to provide a soap handling and savingdevice which will prevent serious accidents to persons who might step-on a bar ofsoap when it-is not beingused since the. present inventionpermitsthe bar of soap to be hung on -a-hook when it is not being used, the present invention also insuring that the bar of soap will last longer since it will not be contacted by the water when the soap is not being used.

A further object of the invention is to provide a soap handling device which is extremely simple and inexpensive to manufacture.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, and in which like numerals are used to designate like parts throughout the same:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the soap handler and saver of the present invention attached to a bar of soap.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 44 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a modified handle for use with the present invention.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the numeral designates a bar of soap which may be recessed at 11 to provide a portion 12 of reduced size, Figures 1 and 2. Permanently secured to the bar of soap 10 and arranged contiguous to the reduced portion 12 is a cap 14 which can be made of any suitable material such as plastic. The cap 14 is provided with a continuous downturned rolled edge 15 which has its free end shaped arcuately as shown in Figure 2. The free end of the continuous rolled edge 15 is embedded in the bar of soap 10 so that the cap 14 remains permanently secured to the bar of soap. To help maintain the cap 14 and bar of soap 10 secured together, a plurality of fingers 16 may be secured to the cap 14, and the fingers 16 have curved portions which are embedded in the bar of soap. It is to be understood that the rolled edge 15 and the fingers 16 are embedded in the bar of soap during the molding of the soap. Thus, the soap may be poured into a suitable mold in liquid form and when it solidifies it will be permanently attached to the cap 14.

Detachably connected to the cap 14 is a handle 18 which can also be made of any suitable material such as a suitable plastic. The handle 18 includesa pair-of similar body portions 19 which are separatedpartiallyz by a space or. cutout 21, Figures 1 and 2. Each of the body portions 19 is providedwith a circular opening 20, and.

two of the fingers on a persons hand are adaptedtobe projected through the openings 20 whereby the. bar, of

soap can be readily-manipulated or. handled. Also, by

inserting the fingers through the openings 20 andmovingthe body. portions 19 toward each other, that isfrom the. solid line positionof Figure 2 to the broken line positionof Figure 2, the handle 18 can be detached, from the:cap-

A means is provided .fordetachably connecting the han-.

dle 18 to the cap 14, and this. means comprises? atflange,

22 which is arranged contiguous toeach endof the cap 14. The flanges 22 are each provided with a plurality of. sockets 23, andthe sockets 23-are adapted to snugly receive therein lugs or protuberances'17 whichmay be:

Referring'toFigure 5 of the drawings there -isshown amodified handle which is indicated generally by the numeral 24, and the handle 24 is adapted to be used in lieu of the handle 18. The handle 24 can be made of any suitable material and includes a base 25 which is provided with a transverse flange 26 on each end thereof. Each of the flanges 26 is provided with sockets 27 which are adapted to snugly receive therein the lugs 17 on the cap 14. Projecting upwardly from an intermediate portion of the base 25 is a lip 28. The lip 28 is provided with a pair of openings 29 whereby two of the fingers of a persons hand can be extended therethrough as shown in Figure 5. Also extending from the base 25 is an ear 30 which is provided with a rolled end 31. By arranging the hand as shown in Figure 5, the ear 30 can be flexed towards the lip 28 so that the flanges 26 can be moved out of engagement with the ends of the cap 14 when the handle is to be removed or replaced.

From the foregoing it is apparent that there has been provided a device for handling a bar of soap. In use the cap 14 and soap bar 10 can be molded together during the manufacture of the soap, and the rolled edge 15 and fingers 16 maintain the cap 14 and bar of soap 10 securely fastened together. Then, the handle 18 can be arranged contiguous to the cap 14 as shown in Figures 1 and 2, and the sockets 23 can be snapped over the lugs 17 whereby the handle 18 will remain connected to the cap 14 and bar of soap 10. To manipulate the bar of soap as when a persons back is to be washed, it is only necessary to insert the fingers through the openings 20 so that a firm grip can be provided. After the bar of soap 10 has been used up, the body portions 19 can be moved together whereby the flanges 22 will flex outwardly away from the ends of the cap 14 so that the socket members 23 will become detached from the lugs 17. Thus, the handle 18 can be used over and over again. In Figure 5 the handle 24 is adapted to be used instead of the handle 18 and when the handle 24 is attached to the cap, the fingers can be inserted through the openings 29 in the lip 28 to facilitate movement of the bar of soap over the various parts of the body being washed. By moving the lip 28 and ear 30 towards each other, the flanges 26 can be flexed outwardly so that the sockets 27 will become disengaged from the lugs 17 whereby the handle 24 can be used over and over again.

Patented Nov. 13,. 1956 The cap and handle can be made of any suitable material such as plastic and the assembly will be inexpensive to manufacture. The lugs 17 can be molded on the ends of the cap 14.

Often serious accidents occur due to a person stepping into a bathtub and stepping on a bar of soap that has been positioned at the bottom of the tub since a bar of soap has a tendency to get soft or mushy. Also, sometimes a bar of soap will slip out of a persons hand during a shower or bath and a person seeking to retrieve the bar of soap may be accidentally scalded by hot water. With the present invention such accidents will be prevented because the soap will never be dropped because after the person has finished with the soap it can be hung on a hook or the like through the medium of the openings 20 or the openings 29. Also, the soap will not be accidentally dissipated by contact with the water since it is hung in a convenient place when it is not being used. The bar of soap and cap are molded together and sold as a unit but the handle can be used over and over again. Thus, the cap is thrown away after the soap has become worn down to the bottom edge of the cap. By turning the edge 15 of the cap inwardly, there will be no sharp edges to injure a person and also a firm connection will'be provided between the cap and bar of soap.

We claim:

1. In combination, a bar of soap provided with a portion of reduced size, a cap arranged contiguous to the portion of reduced size, said cap including a continuous rolled edge embedded in said bar of soap and having its free end curved inwardly, a pair of fingers having curved Sections extending from said cap and embedded in said bar of soap, a plurality of lugs projecting from the ends of said cap, a handle detachably connected to said cap and including a pair of body portions mounted for movement towards and away from each other, each of said body portions being provided with an opening, a flange extending transversely from each end of said handle, each of said flanges being provided with a plurality of sockets for receiving therein said lugs.

2. A soap holder comprising a base having flanges on each end, said flanges being provided with a plurality of sockets, a lip extending from said base intermediate its ends and provided with a plurality of openings, and an ear arranged angularly with respect to said lip and secured to said base, the free end of said ear being shaped arcuately.

3. A device for handling a cake of soap comprising a handle including finger pieces and a resilient bar carrying the finger pieces, and means adapted to secure the bar detachably to the cake of soap, said means comprising in- References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 246,989 Wilkerson Sept. 13, 1881 1,122,882 East Dec. 29, 1914 2,283,988 Heath May 26, 1942 2,319,847 Clanton May 25, 1943 

